All Blog Posts (274)

March 30, 2009, Palm Springs, CA - Although he was born and raised in Haarlem, Holland, Jules Wesselink has been operating his own dairies in Southern California since the 1950s. As the metropolitan Los Angeles area has grown, Jules's dairies have moved from Artesia to Chino, and now to Winchester, CA. The dairy now has 500 Holstein cows that are lovingly… Continue

The Certified Farmers' Markets last week, which are on Wednesday in Palm Desert, Saturday in Palm Springs, and Sunday in Old Town La Quinta were well attended, fun, had great music and guest chefs. People were talking to their friends, enjoying a cup of organic coffee, and buying fresh produce, bread, oils, cheese, plants and flowers.

It seemed as natural as waking up or breathing. The Certified Farmers Markets have a truly inherent/organic feeling… Continue

As a chef, I work to use the freshest, most sustainable ingredients possable. The work of Paul and his wife, and the Palm Springs Cultural Center, have finally brought regional purveyors to the valley and made it accessable to the public. I look forward to every Saturday, whether I have a cooking demonstation or seeing all my friends at the various vendor stalls. It is like an extension of family with amazing fresh produce, oils and vinegars, chees, flowers, Breads, dates, eggs and oranges, and… Continue

In these interesting times I could write all about the awful things happing to our food chain. I will save that for another day. Today I want to write about the exciting, fun delicious, community building event each week here in the Coachella Valley;The Certified Farmers' Markets. I look forward to each market not only for the wonderful fruits and veggies, but to visit and chat with many diffrerent people who share my same enthusiasm and love of good food, friends and a great sense of… Continue

Hello Everyone,
My name is Paul Palodichuk and I am the manager of the three Certified Farmers' Markets (CFMs for short). This is the launch of our great, new interactive website, and my first of many blog posts.

Many people ask me about the purpose behind our markets and why these markets are so particular in their choices of vendors , with a definite leaning toward only farm and limited food based options. The best answer to these questions is found in our mission… Continue

March 23, 2009, Palm Springs, CA - Brussels Sprouts are this week’s Fresh Pick at the Certified Farmers’ Market. They are a cold season crop, and although they prefer the cool humid climate of Northern California’s Fog Belt, they also grow well in Southern California during the Winter months. Ours are locally grown, and are both chemical and pesticide free. They are available at… Continue

March 16, 2009, Palm Springs, CA - Almonds and Pistachios are this week’s Fresh Picks at the Certified Farmers’ Market. Available at all three Certified Farmers’ Market locations, both are available in convenient packages of various sizes. Choose from plain, flavored, organic, raw and/or roasted. All are locally grown and farm-packaged.

March 2, 2009, Palm Springs, CA - Herbs are this week’s Fresh Pick from the Certified Farmers’ Market. We use them for a variety of purposes ranging from culinary to medicinal to spiritual. Some we treasure for their flavor. Others we treasure for their fragrance. Some grow like weeds, and others are quite particular about their growing habits. And while each of us has our favorites, the one… Continue

March 2, 2009, Palm Springs, CA - This week’s Fresh Pick is Cauliflower - one of several vegetables in the cruciferous family (also known as Brassicaceae). Other members of the Cruciferous vegetable family include cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, mustard greens and collard greens (which are also available at the Market).

Locally-grown Asparagus is this week’s Fresh Pick at the Certified Farmers’ Market, and this year’s crop is both delicious and abundant! Asparagus has been used since early times, both for its delicate flavor, and for its diuretic properties. It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans - all of whom ate it fresh in Spring and Summer, and dried in… Continue

The Certified Farmers' Market opened its third location in Palm Desert on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009. Almost 1,000 attendees attended the Grand Opening of the mid-week market - a sure sign that consumers crave farm fresh produce.

"People started showing up as early as 7:45am," said David Todd, Executive Director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center. "And we weren't even set to open until 9am. Fortunately, the farmers were all there early… Continue

The Palm Springs Cultural Center today announced that it has reached an agreement with the City of Palm Desert to open a third location for its popular Certified Farmers' Market. "We are thrilled to be adding a mid-week Certified Farmers' Market in Palm Desert," said Paul Palodichuk, Manager of the Palm Springs Cultural Center's Certified Farmers' Markets. "We will be located at the Palm Desert Visitor Center every… Continue

Locally grown Ripe Haas and Fuerte avocados are available at both Certified Farmers’ Market locations, and four more varieties, Reed, Gwen, Bacon and Pinkerton avocados, will begin to arrive at the Markets in the next few weeks. In Palm Springs, they can be found at Old Grove Orange Farms, Ramirez/Gonzalez Farms and Jaime Farms. In La Quinta, they are available at the Original… Continue

Eating greens on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring the promise of wealth and prosperity in the coming year. So if you’ve never had it, now’s a great time to discover Swiss Chard. Similar to spinach and beet greens, Swiss Chard “greens” are delicious when sautéed, slightly blanched, or added into soups or stews. The leaves of Swiss Chard are leafy and green, but the veins and thick,… Continue